


And I Don't Feel Any Different

by afrocurl



Category: Veronica Mars (TV), Veronica Mars - All Media Types
Genre: Gen, New Year's Eve
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2007-02-02
Updated: 2007-02-02
Packaged: 2018-02-13 11:24:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,357
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2148933
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/afrocurl/pseuds/afrocurl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Veronica's New Years Eve 2007</p>
            </blockquote>





	And I Don't Feel Any Different

**Author's Note:**

  * For [monimala](https://archiveofourown.org/users/monimala/gifts).



> Written for [](http://monimala.livejournal.com/profile)[**monimala**](http://monimala.livejournal.com/) for the 2006 [](http://vm-santa.livejournal.com/profile)[**vm_santa**](http://vm-santa.livejournal.com/). I hope you like this Mala! Thanks also go out to [](http://starxd-sparrow.livejournal.com/profile)[](http://starxd-sparrow.livejournal.com/)**starxd_sparrow** for the beta. At this point all of mistakes are my own. Title of the fic taken from a Death Cab for Cutie song. Considering that fandom is seriously lacking in NYE fic, I had to use the song.

Looking at the alarm clock next to her, Veronica grumbled at the thought of having to spend another day trapped at home. Christmas vacation had turned into a giant waste of time, especially with Wallace and Mac leaving her for their respective family trips, and Parker and Piz going back to their parents’ homes out of state. Any of the other people she knew her age in Neptune were not people she wanted to spend a day with, which left her with few options.

She slowly got out of her bed and padded over to her desk trying to think of something to do for the day. No new emails in the last seven hours—this was officially a sign of desperation. Mac and Wallace must have been enjoying themselves on their vacations, which only served to confirm to Veronica that her life was in no way a non-stop Nelly video or any music video after all—thoughts of Duncan, too, were also a bad idea at this time of year. The sad fact was that she had done nothing interesting with her time alone. Keith had been busy with various cases, and had forbidden her from really working on anything in the office outside of some administrative tasks.

Once she realized that she couldn’t hide in her room all day long, she finally walked towards the kitchen, and sat down on the island after grabbing a bowl and some cereal. There was nothing exciting about this day, just like every other day from her vacation. _Nothing says ringing in the new year like a sad lonely day at home._ She scowled at the bowl of cereal in front of her as she tried to imagine how her life could be better than this.

Moments later, Keith walked into the room with a big smile on his face. “Why, oh lovely daughter of mine, are you frowning on New Year’s Eve?”

“Because my friends have lives, and I can’t think of anything to do tonight.” She studied the cereal and milk in her bowl carefully, wishing that her dad would get the hint and leave her alone.

“So, why don’t you join Cliff and I while we ring in the New Year? I promise it won’t be as horrible as the election party.”

Sighing quietly, Veronica looked up at her dad as he did his best impression of her patented stare. “I guess it can’t hurt.”

“That’s the spirit, sweetie.” He walked over to her and patted her on the head. “Cheer up! It’s a New Year in fifteen hours. That’s got to be worth something.”

Given how Veronica had spent 2006, the idea of a new year wasn’t a bad one.

“Right, Dad.” She put on a forced smile as she realized the cereal in her bowl was beyond soggy.

_I guess I have something to look forward to, now._

~*~

Veronica tried to put on a good face as the day went on, but she still had this nagging feeling that as a nineteen year old she should not be spending New Year’s Eve at home with her dad and a low-life lawyer who represented the local riff raff. Of course, without any of her friends, she didn’t have too many other options, but it still left her feeling like a wallflower. Sure, Cliff was a friend, but not the kind with which she wanted to spend New Years Eve.

It amazed her how much she’d been able to get done in the house without anything else left to do in the small space. Without a case to work on, it was easier for her to bake cookies for the festivities that night. Something homemade was likely to make Cliff forget he wanted to drink a fifth of scotch before the night was over, or at least Veronica hoped that would happen. A drunk and lethargic Cliff was not the best way to ring in her 2007, she realized, and she hoped her father had the same idea or else the night was going to hell faster than she earlier imagined.

~*~

At exactly 8 o’clock, Cliff knocked loudly on the door of the Mars apartment. Veronica was still in the kitchen trying to finish up the last of the baking and cooking that she’d done for the night. Her attempts at being domestic at least were going to garner the trio a wonderful dinner. Anything else was up for grabs.

She opened the door to the smarmy lawyer. “Merry New Year!” he beamed as he moved into the small space.

Trading Places _references. This night is going to be_ fantastic.

“Hi, Cliff. Come on in—have a seat. I’ll get Dad once I finish off with the food.”

“V, thanks for that. Can you also get me a glass and some scotch? I need to start the night off right.”

Sighing at the thought of Cliff drunk the whole night, Veronica went over to get a glass and a bottle of Johnny Walker before returning to the couch.

“Easy now, Cliff. Dad already promised me that we wouldn’t have a repeat of election night.”

Cliff looked at her in mock horror. “I’m wounded, V. I promise not to get so drunk that I can’t remember seeing the ball drop. Deal?” He winked at her, hoping that his playfulness would appease her.

“I’m holding you to that, Cliff. Dad should be out in a minute. He’s in the back cooking some steak. Something about celebrating the New Year, I think.”

“Fine by me, V.” He looked around the coffee table for the remote. Finding it under a copy of _Time_ , he turned on the television. “Do you know what’s good to watch tonight? I’m usually spending my night at the Seventh Veil to worry about this sort of thing.”

Shuddering at that thought, Veronica tried to think of some answer. “Not sure, Cliff. I know later our choices are between Carson Daly and Dick Clark for ball dropping coverage, but, this isn’t my sort of scene either, remember?”

Cliff nodded in agreement. “Right—most teenaged girls are off getting drunk with friends.”

“Right,” she huffed before trying to get back to the food she’d been preparing earlier. _Distractions from what_ normal _kids her age were doing tonight is all that’s keeping me together. It has to get me through tonight._

“Come on—being alone with your dad and I can’t be the end of the world, can it? I mean, if I promise to do horrible announcer voices during the festivities tonight, can I get you to smile?”

Veronica couldn’t help but let out a chuckle at the mental image of Cliff doing a voice over some of tonight’s bad TV. “It helps. But only if you promise to mock everyone that comes on our screen trying to show as much skin when stuck in Times Square?”

“Would I do anything less?”

“I didn’t think so, but I had to make sure.”

Veronica went back to the food, fussing with it one more time, and Cliff continued to flip around the basic cable until Keith walked in a few minutes later with three steaks off the grill.

“Who’s hungry?” he asked, as he looked around at Cliff salivating over the meat on the plate in Keith’s hand.

“I am,” the lawyer responded. “I don’t think I’ve seen a steak that nice since the OB-GYN conference last year.”

“Cliff, must I remind you I don’t want to remember the mental image of you from that night,” Keith intoned.

“I don’t want to know, right Dad?” Veronica asked.

“Right,” Keith said. “I can’t argue with the look we gave Lamb later that week, though, Cliff.”

Cliff laughed and then Veronica slowly joined in.

“Was _that_ why you had that gross footage of Lamb and Madison Sinclair?” she asked.

“Yes, honey, but I’m sparing you any more details,” her father replied.

“Except, Dad, you forgot I saw that hooker later.”

“She was an escort, may I remember you, oh innocent daughter of mine.”

“Sure,” she scoffed. “Can we eat now—I want to get to the cookies I was baking earlier.”

“She bakes?” Cliff asked.

“Yes, I do, Cliff. Just because I tail philandering husbands doesn’t mean I’m not used to doing something feminine. I happen to like baking cookies.”

“Of course you do, V.” Cliff sighed and got up off the couch to move towards the table.

The trio sat down on the small island counter top and proceeded to devour the steaks, along with roasted potatoes and some green beans Veronica had managed to cook while not baking. _So far so good._

Cliff fell silent as he inhaled his food quickly, an incident Veronica never thought she’d see. _He must not have been lying about that OB-GYN conference._ Lost in that thought, Veronica poked at her food, before her father suddenly spoke.

“Any good cases Cliff,” Keith asked, hoping to end the awkward silence in the small apartment.

“Nah—I think Loretta’s trying to come clean, which means I’m about to lose half of my cases. I suppose someone else in Neptune will come around to fill the void.”

“But what will you do if you don’t have to make ‘business calls’ to the Seventh Veil?” Veronica asked with a sugary overtone. She picked up a green bean after and chomped on it loudly.

“I could always work on protecting the stupid students of Hearst. Haven’t you been saying that your fellow students get themselves into too much trouble?” Cliff turned to face Veronica as he spoke, but she made no indication that she wanted to reply to that question. _Hello landmine! No cases of “Open Mouth, Insert Foot” tonight; that extra money is good and Dad needs to know nothing about that part of my life at Hearst._

“Perhaps she did, but most Hearst students might want to aspire to more than you, Cliff,” Keith replied.

The lawyer scoffed at the thought. “I thought you were my friend, Keith.”

“I am, and I’m trying to keep you that way. Stick to what you know, Cliff. Helping out the Hearst students isn’t a step up from Loretta or anyone else you’ve already helped before if what I’ve heard from Veronica is true.” Veronica nodded at her father’s comment, before going back to eat some of her dinner. The group went back to eating in silence. _Hello ruined evening. Nice to see you again._

A moment later, Cliff’s phone chirped loudly.

“One second. I should take this,” he said moving away from the table and towards the door as he carefully studied the caller ID.

Veronica looked up and wondered why Cliff would be getting a call he _needed_ to take at 9 o’clock on New Year’s Eve, but then thought better of the situation. _Of course a low-life attorney is going to get calls on New Year’s Eve; someone is doing something illegal, even tonight._

Silence filled the Mars apartment until Cliff walked back in.

“Thanks for the dinner, Keith, but I’ve gotta run. Big Important Case!”

“Can’t it wait, Cliff?” Veronica asked. If she was going to have a shitty night, it might as well be around people she could tolerate; utter silence did not agree with her at all, nor did the idea of spending her night watching the ball drop without anyone to talk to.

“Sorry, V, but Loretta’s in something pretty big. I’ve got to run down to the station before Lamb has her head on a platter.”

“He’d never want that, Cliff—under aged girls, sure, but a hooker with her head on a platter, never. Plus, you can’t really expect to do anything good for her tonight. Just wait until the morning,” Keith said as he tried to get his friend to stay.

Cliff sat back down, trying to think through Keith’s statement. “As much as I’d love to do that, I think Loretta would have my head if I didn’t at least go down there and make _some_ attempt.”

“If you say so,” was all Keith could reply back. Veronica, as if the best coaches had trained her, pulled out her patented pout on Cliff.

“You sure?” she asked after realizing that her stare had done no good.

“I’m sure, V, but thanks for the offer. Twenty minutes at the station, and I should be back, though.” He hoped the promise to return would appease the blonde.

“Thanks, Cliff,” Keith commented as he looked back down at his plate. “We’ll see you back when you’re done.”

Cliff let the Mars apartment again, while Keith and Veronica silently went back to eating their dinner.

When the twenty minutes that Cliff thought he would be gone had past, along with another forty-five minutes, Veronica finally spoke.

“Shouldn’t we call him? He’s not one to make people wait.”

“I’m sure he’s fine honey,” Keith said as he patted his stomach. “That was a great dinner. I think I’m going to turn in now.”

“Again?” she asked. “What if Cliff comes back?”

“He’ll entertain you, sweetie. Happy New Year!”

Keith moved off the couch and padded his way to his room. Veronica sighed loudly, hoping that her father would know how upset she was at the situation she found herself in.

“You promised me amusement, Dad. You failed.”

Grousing on the couch, Veronica tried to settle into a comfortable position as she forced herself to watch Carson Daly ramble about something inane. Backup appeared out from her room, and tried to nudge her legs from the edge of couch.

Rubbing his head, she tried to imagine that this night wasn’t a complete waste of her time. Backup kept close to her, as she continued to stare at the television with her ears piqued in case there was any noise coming from outside.

The time passed slowly and Cliff never returned. Veronica continued to sulk on the couch, bemoaning the fact that she rang in the New Year with only Backup at her side and the music of Fall Out Boy ending her night.

_So this is the new year, and I don’t feel any different._


End file.
